Mohammed Harb‘s administrative detention was earlier renewed for an additional six months. Al-Salameen and Siyaj are also both imprisoned under administrative detention orders; jailed since they were seized and beaten by Israeli occupation forces on 24 October 2017, both are also threatened with the renewal of their administrative detention orders.

Al-Araj was assassinated by Israeli occupation forces on 6 March 2017 when they invaded the home where he was staying in el-Bireh. They had previously invaded and ransacked his family home in Walaja near Bethlehem over 10 times. Al-Araj resisted the occupation forces until his last breath. Well-known for his involvement in all forms of community and youth organizing and his dedication to Palestinian history and struggle, al-Araj’s assassination sparked protests across Palestine and internationally, demanding an end to Palestinian Authority security coordination with Israel. On 17 April, Palestinian youth will also take to the streets to commemorate both Palestinian Prisoners’ Day and the 40th day on the assassination of al-Araj, demanding justice and freedom for Palestinian prisoners and an end to security coordination.

Also ordered to administrative detention without charge or trial was Ayed Heraimi, 24, of Bethlehem, a former hunger striker who was re-arrested by Israeli occupation forces on 20 March 2017, only two months after his release from Israeli prisons in January 2017. Heraimi previously launched a hunger strike for 45 days, securing his release in January at the end of his six-month detention order; he had held in administrative detention without charge or trial for 14 months in total, re-arrested less than 10 days after serving a three-year prison sentence for membership in Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.

Idrissi and Heraimi are among nearly 600 Palestinians held without charge or trial under administrative detention. Administrative detention orders are indefinitely renewable and Palestinian prisoners can be held for years at a time with no charge and no trial.